Continuum and CellPoint Digital to expand beyond airlines with payments optimisation

The payments orchestration and multi-currency FX partners integrated last year to take advantage of the booming online retail sector and growth in cross-border transaction

Travel payments partners CellPoint Digital and Continuum Commerce are to expand their collaboration to exploit opportunities beyond the aviation sector.

The firms integrated their payments orchestration and multi-currency foreign exchange services in 2021.

The tie-up has enabled airline partners to allow their customers to pay in their preferred currencies and payment methods as cross-border transactions boomed. 

Now the partners are looking to expand beyond aviation saying their technology has much broader applications in other e-commerce verticals as online shopping grows.

Kristian Gjerding, CellPoint Digital chief executive, said: “Cross-border transactions will continue to increase as borders become less relevant to shoppers, and merchants wanting to keep global shoppers engaged and reduce processing costs, must find new ways to optimise these transactions. 

“We already have a strong partnership and existing integration with Continuum, having successfully centralised its multi-currency and FX services via our platform. 

“As the increase in online shopping and eCommerce fuels unprecedented growth in cross-border transactions, we’re looking forward to the opportunity to expand together into even more verticals.”

Globally e-commerce was estimated to be worth $5.5 trillion in 2021 of which 22% was cross-border.

CellPoint and Continuum are working to optimise the customer experience, maximise checkout conversion, manage FX risk exposure, and generate a new revenue streams.

Continuum chief executive, Eamonn O’Shea, said: “According to Gartner the average conversion rate of eCommerce websites is 2.86%.

Allowing customers to transact in their currency of choice and with their preferred payment method will increase conversion rates by up to 20% as well as increasing the average transaction value by up to 8%. 

“We are delighted to extend our very successful partnership with CellPoint beyond airlines into other markets.”